The reassurance comes against a backdrop of fears that longer drinking hours would lead to an explosion of a booze-fuelled 'pint-and-a-fight' culture on the streets.

But police said while the new laws which that came into force today gave people longer to drink, it also gave officers tough new powers to rid the city of the rogue bar-owners and drunken troublemakers.

And in a new ad campaign featuring a photo of a cell-block, West Midlands Police warned those bent on violence: "Ours bars are open 24/7."

Some senior officers are concerned the Thin Blue Line will be stretched even thinner by longer opening hours but Asst Const David Shaw said plans were in place to combat problems, including under-age drinking.

He also questioned whether Birmingham would experience the feared binge-drink free-forall as no premises had been granted a licence allowing them to open 24-hours unchecked.

He said: "We understand why people are concerned, but my own view is that we are not going to have the Armageddon that some predict."

In a warning to rogue barowners he added: "We have a raft of new powers and those places encouraging or facilitating alcohol-related disorder need to be on notice that we will hit them early and hit them hard."

Since fears surrounding the changes to licensing laws were first raised last year, police have worked on plans to tackle trouble.

Birmingham City Council's licensing boss Jacqui Kennedy added: "We are working with partner authorities across the whole city to ensure premises are licensed and trading responsibly."